Good For You Chicken Soup

Don't let the name of this soup fool you because it's SO good! In an attempt to be somewhat healthy one night (HA!) for dinner, I threw together this soup for the fam. Usually I love a cream based soup but let me tell you that I didn't miss it one bit! I had TWO bowls of this yumminess without blinking an eye! This is a perfect thing to keep on hand during the colder months when you need something quick to knock the chill off. I put my spinach in using the whole leaves but if you're not that big of a spinach fan, then by all means, cut it into smaller pieces. The next time I make it, I may add some tomatoes. Whichever way you do it....just do it!

Good For You Chicken Soup



2 chicken breasts ~ sliced in half horizontally
2 yellow squash ~ large dice
1 - 2 zucchini ~ large dice
1 small red onion ~ diced
1 clove garlic ~ minced
1 cup large diced carrots
2 cups large diced Yukon Gold potatoes
2 32-ounce containers chicken stock
3 handfuls fresh spinach
Salt & pepper to taste

Season chicken with salt and pepper (I also used an all purpose seasoning).

Heat a grill pan over medium heat and cook chicken on both sides until done. About 5 - 6 minutes per side.

Remove from the heat and allow chicken to sit in the pan.

In a large dutch oven, drizzle a little olive oil then add the diced onion and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes.

Add in the rest of the veggies, chicken stock some salt and pepper (and more seasoning, if desired) and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium and allow to cook for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are done.

Remove from heat.

Cut chicken into large diced pieces and add to the pot.

Stir in the spinach and stir to combine and heat through.

 

It's soup makin' time!

 

Season and grill your chicken.

 

Saute the onion and garlic in some olive oil.

 

Then throw in the rest of your veggies.

 

Then add the chicken stock. 

Cook for 30 minutes.

 

Finally add the diced, cooked chicken 

and the spinach. Stir and heat through.

 

YUM!

Shuffled Vegetables

If you're looking for a yummy side dish and are tired of the same old frozen veggies on your table, then look no more. These are fantastic! Just slice and layer these vertically (does that make sense?) in the pan and throw on some salt and pepper and then some cheese. You could switch up the veggies to whatever you like but I have to say the combo of the squash and the tomato was super good! And it's so pretty! And you can adjust the amount to fit more or less people, too! And all around great side dish!

Shuffled Vegetables



1 yellow squash
1 zucchini
1 medium onion
1 large tomato
1 medium potato (I used a Yukon Gold)
2 cloves garlic ~ minced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups grated Monterrey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with cooking spray.

Slice all veggies about 1/8 inch thick. Make sure they are all the same thickness so they cook evenly.

Stack the veggies in random order in the pan on their sides or ends. You don't want them flat in the pan.

Sprinkle veggies with minced garlic.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove foil and sprinkle with cheese. Replace foil and bake another 15 minutes. 

 

Here's all you need!

 

Slice and dice!

 

Add the garlic then season and layer.

 

Bake for a while then add some cheese.

 

So yummy, guys!

10 Vegetable Recipes

Everyone can always use a few more veggies in their life, right? Well...check out these yummy recipes for a few ideas about how to include them in your meal plan!

10 Vegetable Recipes

Here's the LINK  to find all of the recipes on Facebook and Pinterest.

Veggie, Gnocchi & Chicken Soup

My mom and I went to Costco the other day and I brought home a rotisserie chicken and some gnocchi. Now I could stand in my kitchen and scarf down my fair share of rotisserie chicken...I love it that much. But I refrained that day. I threw a bunch of stuff into a pot along with the chicken and gnocchi and ended up with THIS! Big smiles and happy tummies!

Veggie, Gnocchi & Chicken Soup



1/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup peas & carrots (the frozen kind)
2 stalks celery ~ diced
1 onion ~ diced
2 cloves garlic ~ minced
1/4  flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
3 cups rotisserie chicken ~ diced
1 16-ounce package small gnocchi
salt and ground black pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg


Melt butter with olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Cook and stir peas & carrots, celery, onion, and garlic in the hot butter and oil until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle flour into mixture, coating vegetables. Cook 2 more minutes.

Stir chicken broth into vegetables, stirring until flour paste combines with broth and soup is thick and smooth, about 5 minutes.

Pour in both kinds of cream and milk and bring to a simmer.

Cook until slightly thickened, about 5 more minutes.

Gently stir chicken and gnocchi into soup.

Season with salt, black pepper, and nutmeg.



The line-up.

Saute the veggies.

Then add the flour and stir it around.

Then the chicken broth.

Then the cream and milk.

Then the spices.

Then the chicken.

Then the gnocchi.

Then eat.

Fajitas

One of my family's favorite things to eat is mexican food! We eat it all the time....in any form...at any time. When we lived in Arizona, we went to a yummy Mexican Food place (can I get a yee-haw for Molina's??) that always served hot delicious food. When we go back to Arizona to visit my husband's family, we eat at El Charro...as often as possible. You know, there are many wonderful things about the south...but mexican food isn't one of them. We've tried ump-teen mexican restaurants here and have only come up with a couple that we enjoy. So...most times if we want mexican food, I just make it at home. And today....I'm offering one of the dishes that makes us smile!!

Fajitas



2  pounds meat - chicken, steak, ground beef, shrimp....whatever you like..or a combination of any
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 orange pepper
1 medium onion
3 tablespoons fajita seasoning (recipe follows)
3/4 cup water
flour tortilla
cheese
salsa
sour cream
guacamole

Slice meat into 1-inch strips and set aside. Slice peppers and onion into strips and throw in a skillet along with a few glugs of olive oil. Let the veggies saute for a little while until they are a little soft. Remove from pan onto a clean plate. Throw the meat into the same pan and let it cook until done. When the meat is done, add the veggies back into the skillet and add 3 tablespoons of fajita seasoning and the water. Stir to combine and heat through. Serve with flour tortillas and other goodies. Enjoy!

This might look like a lot of veggies 

but remember they will cook down.

Throw it in a large skillet.

Cookin' away and smellin' good!

Take out the veggies and cook the meat.

I used a combo of chicken and beef here.

Stir the veggies and meat all together 

with the fajita seasoning and water

Fajita Seasoning

3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons crushed chicken bullion cubes
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon cumin

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl to combine. Store in a sealed jar to use as needed. Makes the equivalent of three purchased fajita mixes.

Here's all the spices...

I love the way they look in the bowl...

 

Mix it up and season away!

With Fall coming, it's always nice to have a few new soup or stew recipes in your arsenal. This dish makes a plain ole chicken dish a little bit different and a lot more yummy! We REALLY enjoyed this!

Chicken and Sausage Stew



3 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 ribs celery, sliced
1 onion ~ diced
2 cups diced carrots
2 - 3 potatoes ~ large dice
2 carrots, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
8 cups chicken broth divided use
1 pound keilbasa sausage ~ large dice
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil in a large pot. Add celery, garlic and onion and cook until tender.

Add the potatoes, carrots, salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and all but 1 cup of the broth.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, sauté the smoked sausage in a little olive oil until browned.

Mix the reserved 1 cup broth with the 1/4 cup flour. Add to the celery/broth mixture to thicken.

Add the meats to the stew and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes or so.

Here's what you need.

Saute the celery, garlic and onion 

in the butter and olive oil.

Measure out 1 cup of chicken broth and set aside.

Add the rest of the broth and the potatoes, 

carrots and seasoning to the pot. 

Let it simmer for about 45 minutes 

or until the veggies are tender.

Dice the sausage and brown it in a skillet.

Mix the one cup of broth with the 1/4 cup 

flour and add that to the heated soup mixture.

Add the cooked meat and heat through.

Eat!!

I have a cousin that lives in Idaho (Hi Ann!!)...but we used to 
 live right down the street from each other several years ago 
when we both lived in California. That was so fun. We'd go walking together...bum rides off of each other....pick each others kids up from school. She moved to Idaho...I moved to South Carolina. We both have grandbabies now. Wow...things change, don't they? I remember her talking about making beef and broccoli for her family and I always thought it sounded hard because it was Chinese food and I thought you could only get good Chinese food in a Chinese food restaurant...or in China. Well...guess what??? It's NOT hard at all! I asked her for her recipe quite a while back and I'm just now getting around to trying it out. You should try it, too!! It's delish!!

My Cousin’s Beef and Broccoli



Marinade:

1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 clove garlic – minced
½ teaspoon powdered ginger
1 splash of sherry
1 tablespoon oil
½ - ¾ pound flank or skirt steak – sliced thin across the grain

Combine all marinade ingredients in a large zip top bag. Add meat and marinate in the fridge for
30 – 60 minutes.

Gravy:

1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon water
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or large skillet until very hot. Stir fry beef until medium or medium-rare. Remove meat from wok and set aside on a plate.

Heat another tablespoon of oil in the wok until very hot and add about 1 pound of broccoli or stir fry veggies. Cook for about 1 minute then add 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and simmer 5 minutes or until veggies are tender. Add the beef and gravy mixture and cook until sauce thickens.

*Optional: Add 1 – 2 tablespoons oyster sauce to the gravy for a more Asian flavor.

Serve with Jasmine rice

Serves 2 – 4 people

Here's what you need for the meat marinade.

Combine the oil, garlic, soy sauce, ginger, 

cornstarch and sherry in a plastic bag.

Then add the thinly sliced meat. Let that 

hang out in the fridge for about an hour.

Here's the gravy stuff. Combine that and set aside. 

Here's where you can add 1 - 2 tablespoons of 

oyster sauce if you want.

In a very hot wok or skillet, add some oil then throw in the marinated meat. Cook that until done to your liking. 

Remove the meat from the wok.

Add the broccoli. In my case, I didn't have broccoli but I DID have some stir fry veggies and they worked great. 

I put them in frozen. Cook the veggies for a bit...

..then add the meat back into the wok along with the gravy.

Stir and cook until the gravy thickens. 

Enjoy with some jasmine rice!!!